The End of an Innocent Twilight
by Jstacy101
Summary: 1 yr Post- New Moon, newborn vampire Bella is a best-selling author. Her life has encountered dramatic changes since the Cullen's departure, and will face more as their return and the emerging of her uncontrolled newborn talents threaten reek havoc. Author's Note: I can post daily updates when motivated by comments! : )
1. Chapter 1

Alice

I sat down next to Jasper and tried to find something; anything. I couldn't see her. Edward would have killed me if he knew that I was searching for Bella's future despite my promise not to. I couldn't help it though. It had been a year since we left her. Her 19th birthday is in a few days and Jasper has buried  
himself in guilt that I can't even save him from. Everyone is different now.  
Esme has given up decorating and began following Carlisle in his hobby of reading ad rereading anything he can get his hands on. Emmett doesn't make jokes nearly as often. He never jokes with Edward anymore; not that anyone could make Edward smile at this point anyway. No one but Bella.  
Even Rosalie misses her. Well, not so much misses Bella; she misses the way things use to be. She's furious that our entire family is in such a broken morbid state over a human that she never liked to begin with. Try as she might, even she can't hide the fact that missed the happiness that Bella brought  
to the entire family.

My poor Jasper has to feel everyone's sadness and worry along with his own guilt. Even after a year I could not convince him that what had happened at Bella's 18th birthday party wasn't his fault. I was careful never to let him know that I felt it was mine. Some psychic I was! I didn't see it coming,  
and my husband could have killed my best friend and it would take every member in our family to keep Edward from killing Jasper himself if that had happened. Jasper would have let him if it came to that. The entire night was my fault. She begged not to have a party but I was so entranced by my smug  
belief that I knew what was best that I didn't listen. I helped break this family. I wasn't completely to blame however. Though Jasper shouldn't blame himself for his lack of control, Edward should be blamed for his lack of common sense.  
Edward was always too quick to jump to conclusions and the conclusion of leaving Bella was the worst he had ever made. He wouldn't listen to any of us. Our pleas fell on deaf, stubborn ears.

Restless as always, I jumped up from my seat and announced that I was going shopping. I didn't even bother to ask anyone to come with me. I wanted to be alone. I drove Emmett's jeep to the nearest mall. Nothing caught my interest as a passed the stores. Almost everything I saw would have looked  
beautiful on our Bella. Close to giving up and heading back to my home full of depressed vampires, I noticed a crowd pouring into the bookstore.  
Curiosity got the best of me and I walked in, only half aware of where I was going.  
"I read all of her work that was published in various poetry books but this is the first one that is completely by her! I can't wait to get it home!"

" She so young and so talented. If I had her talent I wouldn't have ended up as a waitress working the graveyard shift, I'll tell you that!" I another woman joked.  
"I wish she did book signings..."  
"She doesn't even do interviews! Even with her book being a bestseller, she's apparently very  
private!" I reached over and grabbed a copy of one of the books entitled 'Broken Twilight'. By the sound of the title, I didn't think this book would hold much fascination for me or any other members of my family but just as I was about to put it back I saw her name.

By Isabella Swan

I froze for a second rereading the name over and over again. I flipped the book over, almost desperate to find out that it was another Isabella Swan; not the one that I missed so desperately. Then I saw her picture. She was pale, with fuller pink lips, longer and darker wavy brown hair, and dark  
brown eyes that didn't resemble the ones she had when we last saw her. She looked stunning and the dark blue sweater she wore in the picture hugged her upper body enough to show that her figure had matured. There was no doubting it. Bella was a vampire.

Edward

I listened to Alice announce to Jasper that she was going shopping. I knew it was just a ploy to get out of the house. She had been shopping three times this week, which wasn't out of the ordinary for Alice, but what was is that each time she came back, she was empty handed. It takes a lot for Alice not  
to find joy in buying new clothes. It only increased my blame. My actions destroyed the happiness of my entire family, most of all my favorite sister. We barely even spoke now; I barely spoke to anyone. I had joined by family, staying with the Denali clan just two months ago. Apparently, Alice reported that my self loathing was keeping me from hunting after I had gone hungry for months. Even though, not feeding wouldn't kill me, it worried Esme and I couldn't stand to cause her anymore pain so I returned when Alice came to find me.

Esme and Carlisle were the only ones thats minds were full of nothing but happy thoughts when they saw me. I still remember each distinctive thought every other person had.

'Look at him. He's broken and it's all my fault. If only I had been able to control myself! One drop of blood ...'

'There's no doubting it now. We should have stayed in Forks. I should have wrestled him to the ground until he came to his sense about leaving. He might be faster than me but after I would catch him, I could have held him there until ...'

'He's filthy. All of the moan and groan for a plain human. Edward really has lost his mind. Makes all of us move just so we can watch each other pine over a frail little girl that probably has moved on by now.'

Even though Rosalie's thoughts made me close to lashing out at her, it was Alice's that hurt the most. She was speaking directly to me through them.

'I should left you in the pile of mud and dirt that I found you in. If it wasn't for Esme's worry, I would have!' Before she could think of something else, she dashed up the stairs. Jasper, sensing his wife's anger, flew after her. I snapped back to the current time with me lying face down on my couch. The Denali clan left a few months ago to visit some friends and get away from the depressing mood that we brought with us when we came. Only Tanya stayed behind and everyone was aware of why.

"Edward," she called using her most seductive voice. It did nothing to my resolve. I wanted her to leave. I hated when she intruded into my room and disturbed the little peace I had. I could see in her mind, that she had been planning on what she wanted to say for some time now but she was careful to  
not let me hear it through her thoughts.

"Yes Tanya." I said, not lifting my head off the couch.

"Edward, do you think this behavior is helping anyone?" she began. I started to get a clear picture of what she was talking about.

"I understand that you're sad, all of you are," Sad? That was the understatement of the century! I left my beautiful, innocent Bella. I told her that she wasn't wanted and left her! She was my world and I abandoned her. I was in pure agony. My plans to venture to Italy and find those that would put an end to by meaningless existence was always foiled by Alice who would always see my plans and stop me.

Once, when she saw my plans a little too late and I came close to succeeding, she phoned in a bomb threat to the airport. After that, no one was able to board any planes. She made it very clear after that, if I planned on letting the Voultori destroy me, I would be allowing them to destroy the entire family because they wouldn't let me go without a fight . No matter how much I loathed myself, I couldn't let my family pay anymore for my pain then they already were. That put an end to my suicide plans.

"But you haven't even tried to better this situation. You know your family is falling apart by worrying about you. You would let them remain like this for centuries?" her rhetorical question made me imagine my family stuck in this state of depression for another hundred years. Each of the sadden faces flashed in my head, further adding to my grief.

"What would you have me do, Tanya?" I almost pleaded. I could tell that whatever plan she had devised was working.  
"Try to move on. I know, it would not be easy, but the effort would help. If they saw you trying to be happy with someone else, it would give them hope. Esme especially." She threw Esme in, no doubt knowing the she was the one who worried the most about me and that amplified my guilt everyday. But I had no desire to be with anyone else; no desire to even think of it. Tanya must have sensed my refusal.

"The best advantage we have, is having the rest of forever. It would take less than that for her memories to stop haunting you, and for you to be happy again." With that sentence, I was quickly at my feet and now staring at her since the first time she walked in. She interpreted my sudden movement as  
her getting through to me but it was the opposite.

"I-could-live-forever-and-never-forget-her!" I said each word clearly so she would make no mistake in how sincere I was. She took a step back, seeing my anger but found her voice again quickly.

"Edward, I could make you happy if you let me try. And then they would all be happy again too. Being with your own kind means never having to leave in fear of killing them." I hissed menacingly at her. She trying to remedy her mistake.

"Don't you want everyone to be happy again, including you?" Her mind flashed to happy faces of everyone, including mine to show me how blissful it would be. I looked at her closely. She was indeed beautiful. Her strawberry blonde hair hung in curls gently caressing her flawless skin. She was wearing a black see-through lace dress that left nothing to the imagination. She saw me appraising her and got the wrong impression, yet again. The corners of her mouth went up as she smiled seductively.

Her mind went over the various positions we could be in on the couch. I tried to not let her see my disgust. Even though she was using the family in her plan to fulfill her goal of kindling a relationship that would never be, I knew she really did care about us deeply so I would not attempt to let her know  
exactly how I felt.

"Tanya, you're beautiful and you know that," I began. Of course Tanya knew she was beautiful. Her thoughts were almost as vapid as Rosalie's at some points.

"But my family knows just as well as I do that there is no one I could bring myself to even try to be happy with...but her." I saw Tanya's hurt but I knew I had to continue to end any further plans of hers.

"I love her still and I couldn't betray the love of my existence with anyone, even someone as wonderful as you. You deserve better, someone who was focused on your beauty when they look at you and not thinking of someone else's." At first my word cut her deep. The thought of me seeing Bella  
when I looked at her was insulting to her. But then she analyze my words carefully and construed a new plan.

'Maybe he can't betray his heart, but he said nothing about his body! 'I shook my head at her thoughts.

"Tanya," I said as patiently as I could.  
"I'm hers, heart, BODY, and..." I was about to say soul but since I doubted the existence of my soul, I didn't think it would be accurate. If I had a soul, it would be Bella's, just like she offer to give me hers that day I left her.

"You can have it!" I remembered her screaming in a last attempt to get me to stay. Tearless sobs were about to form in my chest and Tanya saw my pain. For the first time in her life, she knew that she couldn't have every man that she wanted and the epiphany was too much for her to bare. She ran from the house, not bothering to change her clothes. She ran far enough for me to not hear her thoughts. I felt disappointed that I had caused another person sadness but I knew that Tanya would have to understand eventually. Just as I was about to return to wallowing in my grief on the couch I heard Alice's thoughts as she quickly drove up to the house.

'I can't believe this! I can't believe this! I don't care if he agrees with me or not! I'm going back to my best friend NOW! '  
She yelled from outside, knowing that we would all be able to hear her even if she whispered.  
"FAMILY MEETING NOW! AND THAT MEANS YOU TOO EDWARD!" I rarely ever heard Alice so angry and it took everyone by surprise. No sooner than she said it, everyone was by the door as she flew inside. She had a bag in her hand filled with books. Before saying anything else, she threw each for us a copy of the book. I noticed she threw my copy particularly harder and aimed for my head.  
"You called us down here for a reading party?" Emmett joked just Alice shot him a look that told him she wasn't in the mood and he quickly closed his mouth. Jasper tried to send waves of calm through the room but Alice stopped him with another firm look.

"Look at the back!" she ordered. Everyone flipped the book over. If my heart had been beating, it would have stopped right then and there!


	2. Chapter 2

Bella

I laid on my bed looking around my room. I felt incredibly out of place. I listened to the silence that surrounded me and began to wonder what Jake was up to. It was still early, and I knew no one would be up for another few hours so I quietly made my way down stairs. Charlie was still sleeping and I heard him toss and turn. I sighed. There was nothing to do. Usually, this would be the time when I would be typing away on my new laptop, provided by my new editor who laughed when she saw the old outdated computer I had before.

I simply didn't feel like writing at that moment. I took me only three minutes to clean the entire house so I rattled my mind with something to keep me occupied while I made Charlie's breakfast. The smell of eggs, bacon, and pancakes filled the house. It woke Charlie out of his sleep but made me cringe. It's funny how I use to love the smell of pancakes. Becoming a vampire really changes your opinions on some things, I thought to myself. After Charlie dressed and graciously ate, he went to work leaving me alone in my bored state. Finally, I caved in and decided to see what Jake was doing. I concentrated on this face and thought as loudly as I could.  
Jake, you up? He was not always a fan of my new vampire powers. Especially when they were used to annoy him. I repeated my question, knowing that if he was up, he would have answered.  
"yeah I'm up now," I heard him say with a raspy voice. "This is kind of an intrusion on my privacy though."  
Sorry, but I'm bored. Can I come down to see you?  
"You really don't need to ask anymore Bella. We've all grown accustomed to your awful smell and we know when it's you. Come but don't be surprised if I'm asleep again when you get here." I smiled and after carefully making sure no one was around, I ran down to La Push.

Knowing Jake would probably be sleeping like he said, I decided to go for a hike around the area. I didn't have to worry as much about people from the past seeing me here. Especially not this early in the morning. I sat for hours watching the waves on the beach until I heard a familiar pair of feet walking towards me.

"Hey." I said softly, knowing his werewolf ears would hear me.

"You know, one day I'm gonna have a girl in my bed and you speaking to me telepathically won't help the mood." he joked.

"Well, we'll have to come up with a signal so when that happens I know to close my mind off from you so I won't hear anything that would give me nightmares." I responded, never taking my eyes

off the ocean.  
"As if you could even sleep to get nightmares," he laughed at me as I threw a small rock in his direction, only missing him by half an inch. He sat down beside me and held my hand. Jake was the only member of the pack that grew completely use to my scent and could handle it with no problem. I knew it was because of how much time we spent together since I was changed. My mind began to wonder to the day where I opened my eyes and found myself in his bedroom. My eyesight was so different; everything was clear. I saw all the particles of dust floating in the air before I saw his worried facial expression. Jacob was the only on who stayed awake throughout the entire ordeal. Two days, he watched me lay still on his bed, not knowing what would happen when I awoke, and never did he release my hand.

No one would ever come close to how I felt about Jake; well, almost no one.

"You're quiet. Do you want to hunt?" he asked hesitantly. I smiled. Jake didn't know the customs of vampire feeding so he didn't know how long I could keep from getting too thirty. Still, I was new so I hunted every day just incase. It never soothed my burning throat but it did keep me from attacking humans who smell much more appealing than the average wildlife I found on the reservation.

"I'm not that thirsty," I began to say but I sensed what his response would be so I decided to beat him to it. "but, there's no point in risking anything. I'll hunt and then we can go for a swim?" I asked looking at him. He smiled warmly at me. Jake had grown incredibly fast within the past year. From a teenage boy to a man in his mid twenties in a matter of months. His muscles, often expose by his lack of shirt, were huge and terrifying to most human onlookers. Not nearly as terrifying if they ever saw him in his wolf form. His hot skin warmed my hand reminding me of the change both of us went through not too long ago. We were completely opposite in so many ways but couldn't have fit better if we tried. I quickly got to my feet after letting go of his hand.

"I'll be back soon," I said as I began running towards the woods. It didn't take long for me to catch the scent of some deer. I let my senses guide me as I chased, attacked, and fed on three of them. I was really full half way through the third one but I didn't want to waste food. I was not keen on killing animals but it was better than killing humans. When I was finished I focused my mind on Jake, telling him that I was done. He agree to meet me at the cliffs where we usually went swimming. When he saw me, he broke into his usually fits of laughter at my appearance.

Despite the fact that I hunted everyday, I was still not very good at it, having only been a vampire for about three months. I never came from a hunting session without my hair being tangled and filled with dirt and my clothes stained with blood.

"Bella, you might be less clumsy no but you're a slob." he said when he finally stopped

laughing. This is why we always went swimming after I hunted. I was always a mess. I winked at him, closed my eyes, and dove off the high cliff into the water. It felt warms against my skin and I swam in circles waiting for Jake to dive in. He did a cannonball almost on top of me and challenged me to a race. After I had won, even after he took a cheating head start, we began to make our way back to his home. Though I loved most of the other members of his pack, I didn't spend that much time with them lately. It wasn't anything personal; they just hadn't got use to my scent like Jacob had and I didn't want to force it on them knowing it made them still somewhat uncomfortable.

"Hey Billy," I greeted the white hair man in the wheelchair in front of the television set.

"Hey Bella." he looked at my wet clothing. Jake must have told him about our swimming after I ate ritual.

"Went hunting this morning?" he asked casually as only he could.

"Yeah." I smiled at him. He stared at me funny for a while and then I realized why. I wasn't really use to being beautiful yet and sometimes it took people off guard. Especially when I smiled. I use to describe this effect as "dazzling" but now, judging by the way some people look at me, I think it's more like a snake being able to hypnotize its prey. Jake, not fully understanding Billy's stare, broke the silence.

"We'll be in my room" he announced nudging me forwards. As I sat on Jake's bed I watched him get some clothes to change into. I knew we couldn't get sick but wet clothes were uncomfortable after a while. I could easily run fast enough to dry them out but the salt water would make the stiff afterwards when they dried. I had a decent amount of clothes at Jakes since the summer time. He threw a pair of jeans and a brown t-shirt at me. I quickly changed out of my wet clothes. He laughed when he watched me scoop up the wet clothes that now was on his bed.

"What?" I asked. He blushed a little before responding.

"You know I have seen you without your clothes Bella so it's funny how you still rush to change." I understood what he meant and rolled my eyes. Of course Jake had seen me naked. As I averted my eyes to give him privacy as he began changing his clothes, I thought of the day I went stumbling into La Push woods throwing up as I went. I was barely conscious at all that day. One minute I was staggering, trying to hold my weight up, next I was on my back feeling cold hands on my skin as they slowly began cracking each of my bones. If it wasn't for the emnese amount of drugs in my system I would have been withering in worse pain but I stayed remotely still, fighting between exruchiating pain and consciousness. It wasn't until one of my ribs crack when I screamed out as loud as I could. I couldn't see the figure that stood above me very clearly due to our dark surroundings but I was sure that I heard a growl followed by a sinister laugh.

Before my thoughts could register everything that was happening I heard a loud smack as the weight that had been crushing, yet another one of my ribs, suddenly disappeared. I turned my head slightly but couldn't make out the figures that fought in the darkness. Before I could attempt to get up I felt cold hands grab my shoulders painfully and teeth that sunk their way into my neck. I tried to scream up there was no voice left in my body. I let myself start to slip into the inevitable darkness. I began to think I was dead when I stopping feeling the pain from my neck and the rest of my body but all the damage my body sustained was replaced by burning that I remembered feeling once before.

Flames ran through my body, as if tearing me apart. This time, there was no one to remove the venom that tortured me. I was only barely aware of my body being lifted and carried somewhere. The pain was excruciating, keeping my mind from thinking of anything else but my desire to die. I screamed my request out a few times. Still, I felt the presence of people around me. I felt a hot hand holding my own. The same hand that was now on my shoulder. I looked up at Jacob's concerned face.

"You alright Bella?" he asked. I hated that I worried him so often. He was always taking care of me. It's been like this for a year now, I thought allowing him to hear me. You went from taking care of a drug addict to a new born vampire. I tried to make it sound like a joke but I knew he could sense my regret for burdening his life.

"Bella, there's no else that I rather take care of then you." he said confidently, easing my worry for the time being. I glanced at the clock. It was around 2pm. About time for Jake to meet up with Sam to discuss their most recent conundrum again. Me.

Edward

Alice, Jasper, and I drove to Bella's home in Forks at record speed. There was little conversation between any family members after Alice finished barking her orders in Alaska.

"I'M LEAVING FOR FORKS IN TEN MINUTES. I DON'T CARE WHO OBJECTS, IF ANY OF YOU ARE COMING WITH ME, START PACKING NOW!" Alice can be very terrifying when she wanted to be. Even Jasper feared attempting to calm her down again so he just sat quietly on the plane focusing on me. Leaving from Alaska to Washington was too long of a journey and my anxiety was increasing with each passing minute. Even with Jasper's relaxing wave of calm, I was ready to kill the pilot and co-pilot and fly the plane myself to get us there faster. To past the time I read and reread Bella's book. My agony before was nothing compared to what it was now, with the knowledge of what I had put her through.

For almost the last year, I clung to the knowledge that my beautiful, irresistible Bella was too good to remain heartbroken for too long. I knew, first hand, the thoughts boys her own age had about her and even though it pained me to think about it, I knew she wouldn't remain single for long. I was in no way prepared to see my very fragile soul mate turned into a indestructible predator who wrote poems about the heartbreak she still feels; the heartbreak that I caused. How could she ever forgive me? I had done everything wrong.

I fell in love with her, put her in constant danger, broke her heart, and left her unprotected so another vampire could take away her innocent humanity and destroy her soul. No, I wouldn't think like that. My Bella, even as a vampire, would always have her immaculate soul. I thought about the change from human to vampire and cringed imagining how Bella went through the pain. Was she alone? Who was there when she awoke? Who changed her in the first place? How is she dealing with the bloodlust that comes with being a new vampire? How is Charlie dealing with his daughter's disappearance? The questions that ran through my head were similar, if not the same, as the questions my family members had. Before the plane landed I reread the last poem in Bella's book.

There was not enough twilight and too much sun Happiness destroyed right after it begun  
A mist in the woods, holding myself tight Surrounded by the emptiness of the cold night Distractions for you, heartbreak for me

Was I such a burden with my human frailty?  
No trace of your existence, not even a mere token Eternity of life with a heart that's broken

My frozen heart felt as if it would slowly rip into a million sheds. How could I have thought anyone like Bella was so fickle that she would quickly replace me with one of her many admirers to get over what I had done. That was, no doubt, the behavior other young girls her age would have resulted to but to expect the same of her was an insult. Bella was nothing like other young girls her age before we met and it was asinine to expect that to change with my disappearance. Disappearance? I almost laughed at the word. I discarded her; abdicated her love and now I would have the audacity to beg for it back.

Jasper couldn't take my rising desperation anymore.  
"Edward," he said slowly, "please try to contain yourself." he looked like he was struggling

with his plea. Being in a car with me wasn't something he could easily handle in my current state. Not after all the gloom he had dealt with in the past year with the rest of us. Now the weight of all the melancholy emotion was about to break him and he was still plagued by his own guilt. I was in no mood to reassure him today. We had all attempted countless amount of times with no avail. And anyway, I had my own guilt to deal with. How would I be able to face my angelic Bella after everything that had happened?

We approached Charlie's house in a manner of minutes. The rest of the family went back to our old home to get settled in and give me some privacy with Bella. Alice wouldn't be persuaded by them however. She missed her best friend almost as much as I did, but in a much different way. Jasper came for emotion support, of course. God knows, we would need it.

Alice

I parked in the driveway and exited the car a little too fast to keep up pretenses. Her scent hit me as I inhaled. It was still floral but it was obviously different; not the same mouthwatering scent but still pleasant. I instructed the boys to stay in the car knowing Charlie and I had a bond that he didn't have with the rest of the Cullen family, least of all Edward. After I couple of knocks he opened the door. He had aged slightly, but his eyes looked like he had gone decades without sleep. They looked burdened with worry that I knew we were the cause of. At first, his expression was just shocked and he didn't know what to say. After a moment of standing at the door he smiled.

"ALICE!' he yelled as he embraced me in a tight hug (tight for a human anyway). I was shocked. Charlie wasn't one for showing emotion, he was usually awkward when it came to it. Most be where Bella got it from.

"Charlie!" I exclaimed and then quickly held my breath. Damnit! I cursed myself for being so thoughtless. I forgot to hunt before arriving. I steadied myself after casually escaping from the hug that could have ended in catastrophe.

"Come in, come in." Charlie insisted holding the door open. I walked into the house and was instantly shocked. I smelt Bella everywhere. How could she be a new born and so close to her human father?! The average newborn needs at least a decade to be able to control their thirst. I was instantly curious but I knew I would need to ease into the conversation gently. I sat down at the table and declined the snack Charlie offered.

"So, what brings you back? Are you...here by yourself?" he asked hesitatingly. I knew where he

was going with that question. He wanted to know if Edward was here too.  
"No, we're all back. We missed it here!" I said warmly trying to lighten the mood.  
"Why did you leave?" he asked firmly. No doubt, he blamed me a little for Bella's despair after

we left. I wasn't surprised that she hadn't made up a reason for our disappearance.  
"Oh, I thought Bella would have told you!" I started, looking shocked.  
"There was a tragic accident that killed Esme's mother and father." Everyone knew how

passionate about family Esme was so I believed that this would be the best answer. I pretended to look like I was close to tears.

"We were all very close to our grandparents and the lost devastated Esme. They had own some businesses that needed tending to so the entire family had to stay in Alaska until everything was sorted out." I must have been a better actress than I thought because Charlie looked suddenly guilty for having asked his question so sternly. He looked around and grabbed a box of tissues that I pretended to use.

"I'm sorry that we didn't keep in contact. We wanted to but the separation was so painful, when Bella was told about our sudden plans to leave she begged to come with us. Edward had a hard time convincing her not to. We knew it would be for the best if she stayed and didn't make any attempts to visit so that she could finish out her senior year uninterrupted." Charlie thought for a while and nodded, seemly appreciative of our sacrifice.

"Charlie," he looked up from the table and into my eyes. "what happened when we left?" Obviously reluctant to answer my question, he took a deep sigh and broke our eye contact.

"I didn't know what to do. I have never felt so helpless in my life. It was like she wasn't there anymore. For days she didn't eat, drink or say anything. She barely moved. She just stared into space. Doctors said she was in a state of catatonia but I wouldn't institute her. I tried to have her mother come and take her to Florida. Bella watched us pack her things and instantly snapped out of her daze. She began screaming unintelligible words, grabbing her clothes out of the suitcases and throwing them around the room. Renee and I were terrified." I took a sip from his beer to steady himself and continued.

"Renee stayed as long as she could. Long enough to help me get Bella out of the house and back into school. Her grades weren't a problem because all she ever did was school work. She didn't talk to anyone, go out, watch TV, she even threw out all her CDs. I was scared to say anything that might drag her back into her zombie state. She couldn't sleep at nights though. Every night she woke up screaming." This explained Charlie's exhausted appearance. I felt so terrible for taking part in the destruction of his only daughter and leaving him to deal with it.

"I finally caved. I didn't know what to do Alice!" he looked at me as if he was pleading for me

to understand. As if he was guilty of something.  
"I allowed the doctors to prescribe her sleeping pills to calm her at nights. I told her that if she

didn't take them that she would be sent to live with Renee. I shouldn't have done that. I should have let her grieve in her own way!" his hands were covering his face and I tried to soothe him.

"You're her father, you were just trying to do what was best." I was anxious to get back to the story. "What happened after she took the pills?"

"Things were a little better. She was sleeping sound but still hardly spoke, hardly ate, and never smiled. The doctors then gave her a mild dosage of anti depressants. They didn't seem to be working so they increased the dosage. She didn't seem happy but she wasn't as sad either. I thought we were finally making some progress. I didn't notice that, after a while, the pills weren't lasting as long as they should have been. She practically stopped eating all together and started to look more sick. There were plenty of times I heard her throwing up in the bathroom but I just thought her body wasn't use to the pills just yet." he held his hands out to me begging for me to understand again. Slowly, I began to.

"One day, I came home and found her passed out on the floor of her bedroom. The hospital said that she had overdosed." Tears starting filling his eyes and if I was able to cry, I would have been too.

"On what?" I managed to ask in-between broken sobs that I couldn't hold back.

He wouldn't answer and wasn't looking in my face anymore and I was about to ask him to stop but I needed to know.

"The doctors suggested rehab but I thought I could make her stop. I don't know how she manage to get cocaine but I was even more devastated when I caught her with a syringe to her wrist one night. That was my breaking point. I called Renee and filled her in on everything that was going on and she was flying out the next day to come take Bella. By the time Renee got here, Bella was gone. We searched everywhere. No one had seen her. After two days, her friend Jacob called and told us that she contacted him saying that she committed herself to a rehabilitation center. She didn't tell anyone where it was because she wasn't allowed visitors for a while."

"We didn't hear from her for another week. When she finally did call, her voice sounded different. Nothing like Bella." I started to piece the puzzle together. So Bella used a rehab center as an alibi for her disappearance while she changing. But who changed her? We were the only vampires around except for...OH MY GOD!


	3. Chapter 3

_**Bella**_

I stood motionless in front of Sam and his pack. Jacob, no longer apart of that pack, stood beside me with a serious expression on his face. These daily meetings were always tense and I hated myself for putting Jacob through them. This one as very important however; they would decided if they would officially include me in the pack that they had made with the Cullens. If I would have been able to sweat, there would have been a puddle at the bottom of my feet. I knew Jacob would never let anything happen to me but there was so much a lone wolf could do.

"Bella," Sam began, "you have shown great control over the past few months. Jacob has informed me of your constant hunting to lessen your thirst and your ability to even be in the same house with Charlie." Sam's gaze locked on Jacob now.

"You should have consulted me before making that decision on your own though Jacob. You could have killed Charlie just to make a point." Jacob rolled his eyes.

"I was with her the entire time, like I usually am, and I even I could see that she had no intentions of hurting him. I wouldn't have allowed it anyway. But there's no point in Charlie and Bella both suffering just because you have no faith in her self control." His words were careful and stern. There had been a lot of tension between Sam and Jacob ever since the day I was changed. Sam wanted me destroyed while I was still burning but Jacob wouldn't stand for it. They fought for some time and then Jacob freed himself from Sam's command by assuming his natural birth right of Alpha wolf. Of course, he had no pack to follow him because everyone still followed Sam, but as long as he could protect me, it didn't make a difference to him.

"Bella's self control is limited. She's so new to this life and it's our job to protect people. No matter how much they miss the OLD Bella." His voice rang with authority which provoked me. I had enough of the way he treated Jacob, how he wanted to let Charlie worry to death over me, and now he proclaimed that I wasn't safe to be around despite my self control that I swore to maintain. Being a newborn vampire makes me more emotional so there was only so much insults I could stand.

"Sam, you say you protect people but you couldn't even protect me while I was HUMAN even when I was on YOUR land!" my voice sounded mimicked the beauty of ringing bells but I could still manage to sound menacing when I was angry enough. I made sure not to appear like I was about to attack him though. That wouldn't help my case.

"You actually wanted to kill me, to cover up your own failure. As if the dead bodies of those hikers Victoria left behind wasn't enough proof of your inadequacy." He flinched at my words and I

noticed that he began to shake. "I have had control over my urges and I have taken every precaution possible. Jacob has stayed

by my side, which is more than I can even ask of him since he was the one who killed Victoria, ALONE!" Sam's shaking was becoming more violent but everyone else was silent in shock of my words.

"As far as I'm concerned, you're no pack leader that has the authority to make a treaty with me. And since Jacob is, I'll leave everything up to him. After all, it's his natural blood right." I said the last sentence calmly with a gentle smirk on my face. Jake's mouth hung open in shock. I opened my mind to him.

_Are you mad at me? _I didn't want him to be.

_I can't believe that you just said all of that. You really underestimate my ability to protect you sometimes. _I was taken back by his response but I heard his joking tone in his head.

_But are you mad? _I pressed again.

_No, I suppose not. I have been holding back a lot because I didn't want to disrespect Sam and cause anymore tension but since everything you said had a valid point, I really can't be mad at you. I wish you would have-_

_Jake?! _My head snapped up and starting looking around. I knew I had heard another voice in my head that wasn't Jake's but apparently he hadn't. I knew my powers weren't strong enough to pick up two people. I had to be very concentrated on one to even sustain a conversation but I knew I heard a familiar voice. Jake looked at me curious why I had ended the conversation so abruptly. I glanced over at all the people in front of us.

Sam was still furious but managed to control some of his anger. The other five that stood next to him seemed calm but shocked about what had just happened between Sam and I. Then I looked over to my left and saw I wolf hiding in the woods. It figures that Sam would have back ups ready to fight just in case. I had notice there presences before but now my mind quickly came to a conclusion that I had to be sure before I said anything. The quiet lasted no more than half a minute but I could sense Jacob had something on his mind that he was eager to share with me.

_What's going on? You looked shocked for a second. Don't tell me your actually regretting what you said now after..._

_Jake, I need to know something_. I was now facing him. _Yeah When you were apart of Sam's pack, you said you could hear each other's mind right? Yeah but what..._

_Do you have to be in wolf form to hear it? _He looked surprised at my question but answered anyway.

_Yeah, that's the only way it works. It's meant to help us keep in contact and form strategies of attack quickly. Why?_

_I think I heard someone thinking of you. But I was only focusing on your mind so I don't really know how that's possible. Unless I'm able to hear minds that are somewhat connected to yours, even if you cant at the moment. _Jake obviously had on idea what I was talking about and the people in front of us were wondering why we were staring at each other but not saying anything.

_Jake, go in the woods and phase. I'll stay here. Make it quick, I need to see something. _He looked at me confused again but then did what I asked. Everyone watched him run into the woods surprised. Jake was the only one who knew of my vampire talent of being about to hold conversations telepathically to anyone I was focused on. I waited for Jake to faze and then I opened my mind again.

_Ok, I did what you wanted, now what? Jake? _It was the other voice again. I suddenly knew that my theory was correct. _Quil? _Jake sounded shocked _Yeah it's me. It's nice to be able to hear you again but who were you just talking to? Me. _I interjected in the conversation testing another theory. Since I can hear Jacob and those

connected to him, they should be able to hear me. _Bella? _Quil sounded shocked as Jake did the first time I got in his head. _Yeah. How is it that you can talk to Jake now? _Quil was quiet and so was Jake. _I guess cause I switched sides. Why? _Jake and I thought in unison _I heard what you said and you're right Bella. We failed to protect you but Jake was there for_

_you. He took responsibility for our failure by sticking by you and making sure you turned out...ok. By ok, you mean not feeding on humans? _I had to ask. _yeah, I guess that's what I meant. I'm already part of the failure to protect you but I don't wanna_

_be apart of banishing you just so we won't have to face our failure. But Bella, how can you hear me anyway? _Before I could responded Jake interrupted.

_We'll get to that later, but you said Bella was going to be banished? So Sam had no real plan to negotiate this? _Jake sounded furious

_He said that she was a danger like the rest of the bloodsuckers but she would use her influence over you to be allowed to feast on whomever she wants. Sorry Bella, but we all believed him but after what you said, I remembered Sam's thoughts the night you were bitten. He kept doubting his ability as_

_a leader and then when Jake left, he thought that his failures would lose him his position and he would be forced to be a follower like the rest of us. But if you're gone, you don't have an influence on Jake anymore. Sam thinks that all it takes for Jake to reliquish his Alpha status_

_But even if I couldn't come to La Push, Jake could come visit me._

_You weren't gonna just be banished from La Push Bella_. Realization hit me and Jake at the same time. Was Sam really this scared of losing his Alpha position?

_Sam hoped that you would slip. He knew that you were testing out spending time with Charlie and he thought.. _I closed my mind off from them. I didn't need to hear anymore. I forced on trying to maintain my control. Jake came running back, still in wolf form growling at Sam. Sam and the others had no idea about the conversation that had just taken place in less that two minutes but they could see Jake's anger and my fury. I was determined not to lose myself to this though. I wouldn't give Sam the satisfaction.

"So Sam, you were hoping I'd kill my father so you'd have more of a valid excuse to force me out of Forks huh?" His eyes opened wide at my accusation.

"Well, sorry to let you know but I'm not going anywhere. And like I said before, you don't have the authority to make me." Jake barked and growled loudly at Sam, agreeing with me. It took everything I had to not lunged at Sam's throat, even though he barely smelt edible. All eyes fell on Sam but he didn't know what to say. He just glared at me. Afraid that I would begin to lose some of my control if I stood there any longer, I turned and began running home. Jake followed me, along with Quil as I dashed through the trees.

_So much for negotiations_, I thought to myself. As I approached the end of the woods I caught a scent that drew me in. I abruptly ran in the direction the wind blew it from, not knowing why I was being pulled away from the path I was just on. Jake and Quil must have caught the scent a second after me because they began quickening their pace. Before I could concentrate enough to open my mind to them I came to a sudden stop in front of an, all to familiar silver volvo.


	4. Chapter 4

There was only so much information I could take. Though I still couldn't read Charlie's mind, not clearly anyway, picking up bits and pieces of my Bella broken was more than I could stand. Paler, thinner, exhausted, screaming in her sleep and catatonic during the day. How could I have done this to my innocent Bella? The only thing that kept me in the seat with Jasper trying hard to send calm waves to me was the deep seeded curiosity on how Bella was transformed into a vampire. Then I heard it. I saw Alice put together the pieces of Charlie's story before he even finished.

That was my breaking point. Before Alice could see the future of my intentions or Jasper could restrain me, I dashed out the car, not knowing the direction to run in. Her scent still lingered though. I wasn't the same, it was better. Freesia with a stronger potency that was more alluring then the scent of her blood, if that was even possible. Though her scent was laced all around the area I followed, the freshest trail with difficulty. I heard someone approaching fast but they don't call me the fastest for nothing. I stopped short with my eyes in shock of where the scent had led me. I was at borderline to the territory I couldn't cross onto. The stench of werewolves was even stronger with the mixture of rain that had just fallen no more than a day ago. But Bella's scent was entwined bringing me to more questions and utter disgust simultaneously. Jasper stood behind me with furious thoughts I quickly dismissed. Alice soon arrived in the car.

"What the hell were you thinking? Has your solitude caused you forget precautions to avoid being discovered?! You're lucky Charlie wasn't suspicious with my weak excuse to explain my sudden departure! You're so ..." Her shouting thoughts were silenced as a vision of us standing in the exact same spot we were currently in appeared and, just as quick as the vision came, it vanished before either of us could see anything else. I opened my mouth to say something when my senses became aware of approachers.

'Slow down! Where are you going?' someone's thoughts yelled.

' She's not listening, but do you smell that?!' another's thoughts voiced. I clenched my fist The smell. Jasper crouched defensively in front of Alice as we all registered that we were to encounter our first werewolves since the decades when the rest of our family at that time, made the treaty. A growl built up in my chest as I braced myself, not willing to leave till I got the answers I wanted about Bella. Did they never tell her of the treaty and was she destroyed? The very thought had me ready to attack. Jasper had to steady my emotions quickly to avoid any physical confrontations. But then, no sooner had I caught the scent, she was there.

Standing as perfect and beautiful as ever. Her hair was auburn brown that hung longer than before, framing her heart shaped faced. Her pale skin was in contrast to her full pink lips that were the most desirable as I had ever seen them. Her figure that had more curves was hugged tightly by jeans

and a t shirt. I didn't think it was possible, but she looked better; Bella was better than before. I felt a gravitational pull towards her despite the disgusting mutts on either side growling intently as Jasper, Alice and I marveled at the creature before us. Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped forward only to be shocked when Bella's stance instantly change and she actually looked dangerous. Her eyes are what shocked me the most. They were golden, displaying her choice of a vegitarian diet, but filled with more rage than the creatures next to her. As if, almost mimicking their involuntary movements, Bella's body shook with rage. I didn't have any idea of what to say but the words spilled out of my mouth in a whisper before I knew it.

"Bella, what happened?" I regretted the words immediately. How dare I, the one who left her broken, ask her what happened. I quickly tuned into the thoughts surrounding me hoping, being that she was now the same as me, Bella's thoughts would be revealed.

'Edward she's about to snap. Her anger is too much. If she was human, it might have killed her at this point.'

'She hates us! Look at her, she hates me!' I felt a sting of guilt for Alice's despair.

'Bella calm down. Because of the treaty, we can't attack them if they haven't bitten or killed anyone or stepped on our land but if you attack them, we won't just be able to sit back and watch!" I wondered why the larger wolf was speaking directly to Bella in his thoughts. Then I heard her voice in his head and it took everything I had not to collapse out of shock.

'I need to get out of here!' her voice was firm but held fear. She glanced over at Alice, finally taking her eyes off me since our silent reunion began. The glare she gave Alice was enough to make her sob aloud and Jasper growl in response. The two wolves bared their teeth in threat and then, without any further time to speak to my beloved, she was gone. The wolves waited a few moments after to make sure we wouldn't cross the line to follow her, but in the meantime I absorbed as much as their thoughts as I could.

'I've never seen her so upset. Should we go after her Jake?" The younger wolf seemed more concerned then angry. It was obvious that Bella had some sort of friendship with the wolves. How, I had no idea. But then again, none of my questions had been answered, instead they multiplied. The only one that seemed important enough to ask aloud to no one in particular was,

"When will I see her again?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Bella**

I sat perched on a tree branch perfectly still, staring off into nothing, wishing my body would let me cry. I heard Jake and Quil looking for me. They called out in their minds, but even my thoughts I kept guarded from them. I didn't need to be reassured that I was safe; I was indestructible. I didn't need to be reassured that I was loved; I could already see it in Jake's eyes. I just needed to feel something that would take away the initial shock. The pain was enough to consume my every thought with hate. I shook violently and the tree that I was perched on responded by trembling, giving away my location to Jake and Quil. I felt heat coursing through me. Not quite similar to my painful transformation, but it made it impossible to control my own movements. I fell from the branch just as Jake and Quil saw me. Then it happened; In my mind I pictured Alice, Jasper, and Edward standing where I left them and in my mind, I screamed with enough malice that made my body burst out of my clothes and erupt in white fur.

**Alice**

We all stood motionless. There were no words, no visions, nothing. I loved Bella as a sister from the moment I saw her future intwined with ours. She completed our family, left broken without her. The missing piece, separated by an imaginary line. I would endure the pungent stench of wolves if I could cross the line and bring her back. Just as the possibility came into mind, my body shuddered as my mind was filled with scream of pure anguish. Simultaneously, I gasped, Jasper crouched protectively in-front of me and Edward fell to the ground. The scream faded from my mind followed by confusion.

"Bella.." Edward whispered. He sounded wounded and if not for the fact that I had been standing here the entire time, I would think he was physically hurt. Jasper started to crumple to the ground in response to the pain he was feeling.

"Edward, listen to me," I grabbed his face in my hands and looked into his thirsty eyes. It had been too long since he hunted.

"We WILL get her back!" I said it with such confidence because I believed it myself. There was no way someone that belonged with us, now more than ever, should be off suffering in the company of wolves. The thought of Bella suffering brought a question to my mind.

"Did you hear Bella scream in your head?" I asked gently, afraid that I sounded as crazy to him as I did to myself. Through research I learned that I had already been put in an asylum as a human; I wasn't about to have a repeat of my former life but Jasper sensed my embarrassment and responded.

"Yes, that was her. Even from here, I could feel her pain. She shouldn't have seen us. She might be in worse condition than Edward right now. And she's with the wolves. They're volatile. There's no telling what could..." Jasper was cut off in mid sentence by a look from Edward. Suddenly he has sprung to his feet. It only took a moment to understand where his mind was. I envisioned him crossing the line and then everything else disappeared. Jasper understood my instant fear and accompanied me in locking my arms around Edward, restraining him from making anymore irrational movements today.

"LET GO!" he growled "She needs me!" "She ran from you! She ran from us. She's in this pain because of you Edward! What good will

it do now to start a war for crossing the line. You will push her farther away and lose her forever!" I knew what I said was harsh but it was enough to make him see reason through his shattered psyche. He just wanted Bella; we all wanted Bella. But she wouldn't come back by force and even Edward had to acknowledge that if anything was to ever improve.

The drive back to the old house was quiet again. I racked my brain trying to understand how I heard Bella in my head. I understood the confusion Edward must have felt when he first discovered his gift. That's when it occurred to me. Edward heard it in my head before I opened my mouth.

"Of course. That would make some sort of sense I suppose." he murmured still lost in thought. Jasper looked over at me, questioning what he had just missed.

"Bella has a gift. She was able to shield her mind from Edward as a human. She can somehow push her thoughts into the minds of other now, as a vampire. It's an interesting reverse."

"That would explain how we all heard her scream in our minds. Do you think it was intentional?" he asked with eyes barely on the road

"Bella rarely ever showed weakness. I doubt she would purposely broadcast it now, no matter how much she wants to hurt us." It hurt just to say that last part. Bella, how could this happened? Her scream said everything. She was in agony and it was our fault. It was my fault...again. First that party, and now bringing everyone back here. Bringing Edward back here. I should have came by myself. Jasper took my hand into his and looked into my eyes.

"It's not your fault Alice," was all he said and all it took for the moment. I had to focus on the future. I close my eyes and willed myself to see any possibility that I would get my sister back.

**Edward**

The need to have my Bella back in my arms was causing them to ache. I needed her more than anything but I deserved to have her run from me. I feared the company she kept however. Werewolves were not the type I intended for Bella to be around in my absence. Even as a vampire, it was not safe for her. Her beautiful features danced in my head once more before interrupted by a scream that would have stopped my heart, had it still been beating. I knew the scream. I heard it before in a dance studio. Even though it sounded slightly different, I knew who it belonged to

I fell to the ground lost in thought. Her name repeated in my head. This boundary line taunting me; holding me back from what was rightfully mine. Bella was mine, ever since I had first encountered her. I was a fool to think I could change this. Even now, fate intervened, bringing us to Forks once again. I needed her. My face rested in Alice's small hands but I could not register what she was saying. All I heard was Jasper's voice.

"She might be in worse condition than Edward right now. And she's with the wolves. They're volatile. There's no telling what could..." Bella's scream. They had heard it too although I was positive that it was only heard mentally, but how? It didn't matter. With the knowledge that this scream wasn't conjured by my imagination to further punish me, I had to get to her. My plan was interrupted by the hard embrace of my siblings. Though I fought with ever fiber of my being, Alice's words chimed in, showing me reason. "She ran from you! She ran from us. She's in this pain because of you Edward! What good will it do now to start a war for crossing the line. You will push her farther away and lose her forever!" The very thought of pushing Bella further away...was that even possible at this point? She hated me, she ran from us, She hated me. But I needed her. I would not survive another day without her again. I had no knowledge of how they got me in the car but the ride held a revelation about my beloved. Alice thought of it before I had even considered it. Bella was always amazing, but now a gifted vampire. I longed to hear her thoughts, after all this time. Would I get the opportunity? Did I even deserve it?

**Bella**

I woke up in Jake's room. The realization that I had actually been sleeping caused me up spring up in less than a millisecond. I looked around to see Quil looking bashfully down at the ground. I forced myself into his head. 'What's wrong? What happened? Where's Jake?' My questions caught him off guard, him still not use to my gift. He responded in his head, still sounding bashful.'Bella, your naked.' I looked down at my completely bare flesh and grabbed Jakes bed sheets to wrap around me. Now I was embarrassed and Quil sensed it. 'It's ok Bella. It happens to all of us when we change. You'll get use to it.'

"When you change?!" this time I spoke aloud.

"I'm not a wolf; I'm a vampire remember?" He looked at me funny for a while. Then he spoke as if he was explaining something simple to a child.

"Do-You-Remember?" I rolled my eyes and Quil laughed in response. I heard Jake approaching with his dad. I was tempted to throw on some of my clothes I had in his room but there were more important things at hand right now then my embarrassment.

"You're awake, good." Jake's voice sounded serious. His father's stern expression confirmed that something was wrong. Before either of them said anything else, they looked at me and apparently, from their dazed expressions, lost their train of thought.

"I know, she smells much better now, doesn't she. I kinda reminds me of Claire in a way but I can't explain it." I was familiar with Quil's 2-year-old imprint but I had no idea why I would smell like her. I noticed all of them unconsciously leaning in a little closer while their eyes were slightly glossy.

"What's going on?" I asked, finally getting frustrated. Jake quickly composed himself and looked at me sympathetically.

"Bells, we're sorry. It just that, you turned into a wolf an hour ago. Embry and I searched for you after our encounter with the Cullens and by the time we found you, you were falling from a tree. When you hit the ground you changed and then passed out. You didn't phase back at first. We had to carry you here.."

"Which was nerve-racking!" Quil exclaimed.

"I kept thinking you were gonna wake up and kill us!" I knew he was joking but given the situation, that was a probability that scared even me.

"I've been talking to my dad." Jake's voice got softer now as he looked towards the ground.

"We went over the attack that changed you. I had some minor injuries after my fight with the redhead leech. We figured that while I was carrying you back here when you were changing, my blood mixed with yours before I fully healed." My mind went over the damage that had been done to my body that night. I never knew that Jake had been hurt at all, but given how accelerated the wolf healing rate was, why would I?

"We didn't notice, of course, but it had some sort of reaction with your changing. That's the only reason why you can turn into one of us even though you're one of them." I flinched at the words 'one of them.' Jake had never used the word 'vampire' or 'leech' to describe me but I never thought I was considered one of the Cullens. It made sense though. I did love them at one point. I suppose that he would always find me in allegiance with them. But that just left me when I started off when they had left in the first place. Alone. At least then I was human. Now a vampire-wolf mix. Two opposites with no one to find solace with. If Jake was still talking, the words were lost on me. Loneliness is a feeling I had dealt with before, but there was too much uncertainty now. Suddenly, I felt the heat coursing through me once more, but this time, it felt relieving. Like escape from my pain. I let it take me and found myself on all fours and dashing threw the open window above Jake's bed.

I heard them call me and I heard Quil and Jake change but I wanted to be as far from them as possible so I tested out my speed as a wolf. I didn't automatically hear anyone in my head, but since I didn't belong to a pack it made sense. I didn't belong to anyone. The pain sank deeper. I raced through the woods, finally finding a calm looking spot. I don't know how long I stood there, lost in my depression. But suddenly I heard the approach of someone that wasn't Jake or Quil. I prepared to attack, giving into my animalistic instincts. A wolf appeared, slightly bigger than me. His fur was a darker brown than Jake's. I noticed right away that the smell didn't disgust me as the smell of any wolf, other than Jake, use to. He looked shocked to see me at first but then his stance relaxed. As did mine as he starred deeply into my eyes. I was use to this response as a vampire, but not as a wolf. Maybe I underestimated my attractiveness even as an, otherwise fictional, animal.

Suddenly, he started walking towards me with exaggerated slowness. For some reason, I was nervous. I focused my mind on him and shouted in my head.

'WHO ARE YOU?!" I suppose my voice was easily depicted.

'Bella?' He thought. I suddenly heard four other voices before I could figure out who was the wolf in-front of me.

'Bella? Where?' 'I just saw Jake and Quil and they're frantic looking for her." 'What's going on? Did she attack someone?' 'I knew she was going to be problems eventually!'I recognized Sam's voice instantly but it

wasn't a welcomed voice in my head at this time. I concentrated on blocking everyone else and continued until I heard just one voice.

'Bella,' his internal voice sounded relieved and in awe. His every muscle was relaxed as his eyes focused on mine.

'Embry?' I was unsure at first but judging by the light in his eyes when I said his name, I knew I was right.

'How did you block everyone else out?' he continued approaching until he was inches away.

'It's just a talent I have' I answered downplaying my vampire gift. He starred at me with such intensity, that I began to feel uncomfortable again.

'Why are you out here?' I asked after a few moments of silence.

'I caught your scent while patrolling. I didn't know it was you though. How are you a wolf? It explains why your scent is so...'

'From what I've been told, my blood mixed with Jake's while I was changing. Can't explain it much better than that though.' I suddenly remembered why I came out here in the first place. I wanted to be alone. Embry sensed my sudden sadness.

'What's wrong?' he sounded almost frantic and he lowered his head to mine and lightly brushed his head against mine. It was a strange form of comfort but I suppose that's the best you can get when you're in the form of an animal. I remembered Embry before; when the Cullens had just left and I found comfort with Jake. Embry use to tease him about the friendship being a cover for Jake and I secretly dating. When Jake's change occurred causing him to distance himself from me, I didn't see Embry again. This was the first time I had seen him since before he was apart of Sam's pack. He heard my thoughts and responded.

'I missed you Bella.' He rubbed his head against mine again but instead of retreating, like I normally would under the circumstances, I allowed the contact to comfort me. It was what I needed at the time. But all too soon, reality caught back up with me and I remembered Jake and Quil searching for me. I pulled away quickly, faced with Embry's hurt expression. I didn't know why but I felt like I should explain.

'I'm sorry Embry. Thank you for trying to cheer me up, but I have to be alone right now.' I turned to run off but he positioned himself in my path.

'Are you alright?' His compassion was overwhelming and unexpected. Even in his mind, I could see I was the focal point of his thoughts at the moment and not because I was blocking him from being able to hear or speak to any of his other pack members. I released him from my concentration allowing the thoughts of the others to bombard him with questions. When the couldn't hear him anymore, they assumed the worse. They were already on there way to where we were after picking up my scent. The dangers of a new wolf filled their heads, none aware that it was me until Embry relayed that information. I was about to run off again when I heard Sam's voice.

'Embry...you imprinted?!' I abruptly turned back around and was, once again, face to face with Embry who's eyes portrayed the heaviest affection of love I had ever seen. Well, almost...


	6. Chapter 6

**Embry**

Bella had always been beautiful to me. All the times Quil and I teased Jake about him wanting her seemed so long ago now. The last time I saw her, I remembered she was sitting on an old crate in Jake's garage while he worked on their bikes. That was prior to my own transformation however. Shortly after she was bitten by the same leech we had all been losing countless hours of sleep hunting. Sam tried to only keep the most experienced wolves near when Bella was around so my opportunities to see her greatly diminished along with my chances to apologize for not being a better protector. With the last group encounter, Sam had me patrolling but I was still able to witness the entire ordeal though there minds and was never more impressed. Not many people could speak to Sam the way Bella did, vampire or not.

Everyone in the pack tried to reframe from thinking about it, afraid to stir up Sam's temper any more than it already was. We all understood why. It's a severe blow to the heart when someone you once knew is turned into an immortal enemy all because you couldn't protect her. I felt guilt about it, so Sam's guilt was unmeasurable. Even Leah, who under normal circumstances would love to torture Sam about his failure, stayed as quiet as she could about it. It was difficult for her though. Sam was furious at Bella's now freedom to roam without restrictions since Jake had given her almost free reign on La Push. Obviously, extra patrolling was demanded, just to make sure her freedom didn't 'get out of hand'.

I got a little side tracked and wandered a little too close to Jake's house. I was only a few miles away when I caught the calming scent of freesia. It was intwined with a very light sweet scent that almost reminded me of leeches, but in this case the mixture of the two scents was intoxicating. I started to follow it, unaware of my own actions. After a while, the scent changed directions and suddenly I was running.

'Embry, what's going on? Did you find something?' Leah wasn't too far from me. 'Not a leech, something else. I think another wolf.' I sounded unsure of myself. 'Another wolf? I'll alert Sam.' Leah was already running off by the time I found what I was

looking for. In a small clearing there she was. A smaller wolf with short white silver tinted fur. She was perfect. I stared in her amber colored eyes and suddenly, the Earth stopped and there was just her. She was everything and it was like I was seeing for the first time. Everything looked different but the only thing I could look at was her. She looked lethal and beautiful as she prepared to attack.

'WHO ARE YOU?!' she asked. That voice, I knew it. 'Bella?' My head was filled with the thoughts of the others. 'Bella? Where?' 'I just saw Jake and Quil and they're frantic looking for her." 'What's going on? Did she attack someone?' 'I knew she was going to be problems eventually!' I was insulted by Sam's words and about to

respond when everything suddenly went quiet. I looked into Bella's eyes and knew instantly that she had miraculously silenced them.

'Bella.' he name sounded so perfect. 'Embry?' my name in her head filled me with joy. 'How did you block everyone else out?' I asked when the curiosity finally got the best of me. 'It's just a talent I have,' she nonchalantly answered. I loved her. I knew it. She was my imprint. I

close the distance between us and we stood in silence. 'Why are you out here?' she asked ''I caught your scent while patrolling. I didn't know it was you though. How are you a wolf? It

explains why your scent is so...' 'From what I've been told, my blood mixed with Jake's while I was changing. Can't explain it

much better than that though.' She rushed the information out and her eyes began to look sad. 'What's wrong?' I couldn't stand the hurt look in her eyes. I lowered my head to hers and lightly

brushed it against her. The intense need to comfort her was unbearable. Her thoughts flashed to hazy memories of me before, when the Cullens had just left and she began spending more time with Jake.

'I missed you Bella.' The words didn't even begin to explain how I would feel if I was separated from her that long again. I rubbed my head against hers once more and it made my heart swell to see that it was helping to comfort her. But her mind quickly flashed to Jake and Quil and I felt the unfamiliar feeling of jealously. She pulled away quickly, and my heart ached.

'I'm sorry Embry. Thank you for trying to cheer me up, but I have to be alone right now.' She turned to run off but I positioned myself in her path.

'Are you alright?' I had to know she was alright. She looked so frantic. Then thoughts of my pack members came rushing back. They were worried and on their way, assuming I had been hurt. My thoughts of Bella informed them that I was alright and was exactly where I needed to be; right with her. I noticed she was about to run off again but before I could react, I heard Sam.

'Embry...you imprinted?!' I looked into Bella's shocked face, knowing she heard Sam.

**Jacob**

Quil and I raced to catch up with Bella. I hadn't understand why she fled in the first place until Quil pointed out my slip. I referred to her as 'one of them'. How could I have been so careless? I couldn't have possibly hurt her more. And this was said just after we discovered her wolf side. I knew Bella well enough to know, my words just heightened the perpetual feeling of loneliness she always had. The nights when I would wake up, ready to attack, only to find her standing in my room with the vulnerable look any leech could ever had. No, Bella wasn't a leech, she was still my Bella. No longer clumsy, but a messy hunter, telepathic, half vampire- half werewolf version of the human girl I once loved.

Quil's thoughts were silent as I thought about her. He focused on zeroing in on her location as I contemplated if I loved this new Bella as much as the old. I had to admit, it was difficult. It went against the grain of my kind to even be around a vampire without attacking yet, almost every night I wasn't patrolling, Bella was curled up next to me in bed. Her inability to sleep never stopped her from lying all night next to me, eyes closed, quietly nestled up to me. Her hard, cold flesh no longer made my skin crawl. I was ashamed to even admit to myself that it once had that affect on me. She was Bella, my Bella. I loved her even as a vampire. Now, part wolf, thanks to the fusion of my blood with hers, it had to admit it, was somewhat easier. Natural even.

We were only a few feet away but heard Sam's pack quickly approaching. They must have been in pursuit of Bella when they caught her unfamiliar scent. When we finally saw her, she was only a few inches away from a wolf I had immediately recognized to be Embry. My first instinct was that he was about to attack, why else would he be so close to her. I bared my teeth and pounced on him, separating him from Bella at once. He fought violently to get back near her but I wasn't having it. I hated that it had come to this but I couldn't let my him hurt her. I bit into his leg dragging him back again while Quil stood in-front of Bella protectively. The rest of Sam's pack arrived. Although I could no longer hear they're thoughts, I know what the sight of me attacking Embry while to tried desperately to get near Bella must of looked like. Everyone surrounded us, braced to attack. Bella's voice then irrupted in my head.

'STOP! STOP IT NOW JACOB! HE'S NOT TRYING TO HURT ME, LET HIM GO!' She must have concentrated too hard because everyone else froze the same time I did, making it obvious that they had heard Bella's voice in their head's as well. The instant I released Embry he made his way back to Bella, lightly pushing Quil aside in the process. She looked worried that he was hurt for a moment, then glared at me.

'Jake, how can we all hear her?' Sam asked. I was left in shock. 'How can I hear you?' I asked. Sam didn't immediately respond. I suppose he was just acting on

impulse when he spoke, not thinking about whether I could actually hear him or not. 'Maybe because we're both Alphas because you still can't hear anyone in my pack, can you?'

I shook my head. It made sense, not that we would have known before. They're was never a case when there was two Alphas before. I looked around at everyone staring at Bella and Embry who were staring at each other.

'What's going on?' I asked.

'YOU TELL ME, HOW IS SHE A WOLF? AND HOW CAN WE HEAR HER MIND SOMETIMES?' Sam was beyond irritated at his lack of information.

'Hearing her mind is her vampire talent and she turned into a wolf for the first time today. My blood mixed with hers when she was going through her transformation causing some kinda half breed thing.' I explained as calmly as I could. Sam looked like he was about to pass out from information overload.

'Embry imprinted on Bella'. The words he spoke in his head didn't even seem like they belonged together. I started to shake uncomfortably overcome with jealousy. My Bella, she was mine. Everywhere I turned there was someone to try to take her from me. First the leech and now my best friend. My muscles tensed as I readied to attack again but Sam stopped me.

'He can't help it. It's out of his control and you already know that.' His voice was stern as if he was speaking to a child, not a fellow Alpha. I rolled my eyes and looked at Bella, willing her to speak to me.

'Jake, calm down.' She ordered, her voice laced with annoyance 'Bells, I'm so sorry about what I said. You know I think of you as one of us.' 'Now, that I'm half wolf maybe,' her voice was soft 'but I need time to get a grip on all of this. I was a vampire, now a wolf, and now an imprint.'

My eyes glanced over at Embry who was getting frustrated with our silent conversation. I could tell by looking in Bella's mind that she was mentally exhausted. She been three species in one year and now take on being the object of complete affection while nursing a broken heart. There's only so much a person can take. I practically lost my mind when I first changed and I had a whole pack for a support system. As much as I wanted to be there for her, I didn't know what she was feeling. She was one of a kind and being that meant a lonely life. She heard my thoughts and nodded, indicating I was right.

'Go, I'll keep them from following. Come back when you're ready. I'm here for you Bells.' Her eyes filled with tears of anguish, confusion, and relief before she turned around and ran away. I had to pounce on Embry to keep him from following her. I told Sam to order him to stay. He reluctantly complied.

'Where is she going?' he asked, now worried about Embry who was trying to fight against the Alpha command even though he knew it was pointless.

'I don't know but away from here for now.' I answered turning my back on him with my eyes downcast. I missed her already. Quil began to follow when I heard another voice.

'JAKE! Where's Bella going?' it was Embry. Sam and I both realize what had happened at the same time. Embry's fight against the Alpha command that kept him away from his imprint actually caused him to change side. This was difficult for same. Losing two pack members in one day. He quickly commanded everyone else to leave before anyone else switch to my pack.

'We need to know when she comes back,' he said as if it was an order. I nodded my head, ready to have this day behind me. Embry was anxious, but I ordered him to not try to follow Bella. Sam ran after his pack and I let Embry see what was in my mind, explaining Bella's departure. He froze, in shock with how much she had to go through alone. I could tell he was annoyed with my feeling for her but his desire to have her back trumped even mine. But we needed her to be happy otherwise there was no happiness for either one of us.


	7. Chapter 7

Three weeks later...and still no Bella

**Edward **

It had been almost a month since I had seen Bella again. I couldn't believe that I had come face to face with my angel and stood by and let her slip through my fingers. Carlisle keeps telling me that there was nothing I could do; she wanted to run and I couldn't cross the line. I was ready to tell him that starting a war with the wolves to get Bella back seemed like a small price to pay but that would mean I would put everyone in my family's life in jeopardy for my own selfishness. In the long run, it was I who left her in the first place. Why wouldn't she run? But it's been weeks now. Instead of immersing myself in complete depression, I spend ample time trying to find out exactly what happened to Bella after we left. I started with reading everything she had ever published. All her poems screamed out the pain of abandonment. Still, I suffered through each word like a knife to my still heart, hoping it would reveal something new. All I had discovered was that Bella's talent for poetry exceeded even my expectations. I shouldn't have been surprised though. She was Bella after all.

I stayed around her house when Charlie was home, hoping to hear more from his thoughts than just bits and pieces. It had already occurred to me that Bella couldn't have spent too much time around her friends for them to know too much more than I did. She usually kept to herself and even when I attended school with Bella, none of them were nearly as perceptive to see her for all that she really was. Her becoming a vampire most likely just caused more distant between them anyway. Surprisingly, she was able to be around her father, even as a new born which spoke wonders. I knew Charlie was my best bet since I couldn't cross the line to La Push. Thankfully, Charlie's mind was scarcely not focused on Bella. Her thought about how tortured she was when we left often, fueling his anger towards me. He assumed that our return to Forks was the reason Bella left again. He was glad she had the strength to do so, even though he missed her terribly. My heart sunk when I first realized Bella had left Forks, knowing that I really was the cause of her decision. Still, I needed to know more about her life in my absence. If I knew more, maybe I could find some key to getting her back.

Alice made it clear that I couldn't just 'dazzle' her back. I had to know how she had truly changed before assuming she would ever love me again. I even took it upon myself to ask Esme to come with me to visit her publisher. Esme, acting as an independent film director, insisted that she thought Bella's work was good enough to produce a great screenplay if she was interested. Esme sure looked the part, having been dressed by Alice in a Dior grey business suit with matching Prada hand bag and sunglasses. I tagged along, pretending to be her assistant. We both played our roles so well that no one paid any attention to the fact that they never had heard of Esme's work before but lying never posed too much of a challenge.

"Mrs. Monroe, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you!" Bella's publisher exclaimed. She was a short, cubby woman with dyed blonde hair. She wore too much makeup but other than that, she looked average. Upon seeing us, she thought about how our skin resembled Bella's.

"I'm Ms. Haze, we spoke over the phone about my poetry prodigy." She giggled and offered us a seat.

"Thank you for meeting us on such short notice Ms. Haze," Esme's warming voice always made to easier to get the information she wanted out of people.

"I wanted to know more about your writer. Has she done any other unpublished work other than poetry?"

"No, she usually just sticks to short poems but the readers are addicted to her. We get so much fan mail! We considered starting a fan club for Izzy but she quickly declined, she's such a modest little thing."

Ms. Haze thoughts towards Bella were completely affectionate and supportive like a mother. Her mind ran over memories of her trying to nurture Bella's talent instead of focusing on money. This

made Ms. Haze very commendable in my eyes.  
"Izzy? That's what she likes to be called now?" Esme's focused wavered a little, accidently

indicating that she personally knew Bella before her new nickname. She caught her mistake before Ms. Haze could react.

"I thought you used her full name when publishing her work." She said, covering her slip up.

"Oh we do, but here she's Izzy. I'm sorry to say that I don't think she would be very interested in screenplay writing. It doesn't seem like her style at the moment but of course, I will bring the topic up to her."

"We would love to meet her in person." Esme said with a smile. I knew how much she missed Bella but surely, luring her here on false pretenses wasn't going to get her back with the family.

"Oh she rarely does meetings. I don't exaggerate when I say she's modest. The most beautiful young lady I ever saw right out of high school, but she doesn't like being in the public eye." That sounded like my Bella, so I was relieved to know that aspect didn't change. I started to smile when Ms. Haze started to laugh.

"You should have seen how difficult it was to get her to take a picture for her book! She practically growled at me when I told her she had no choice for once" Esme starting laughing as well, picturing how awkward Bella must have felt in a photo shoot.

"But I have to admit, the opportunity would be great for her to expand. Her work could be like Sofia Coppola's, every deep and dark yet beautiful. I will do everything I can to persuade her when I speak to her again."

"You don't speak to her often?" This time, I had asked the question. Ms. Haze was slightly dazzled by my appearance which caused hesitation to her answer.

"She's a private person. I wish I could explain better. Recently, she has decided to go to college, which was completely out of the blue! I pressed her on the issue plenty of times but she always claimed it wasn't for her. She changed her mind so drastically. I'm happy about it though. She is just going to email all her work like normal and we'll have our meetings when she comes for a visit." The emotions Esme and I felt in that once instant would be enough to drive Jasper crazy. We felt a feeling of pride knowing that Bella was going to college for the first time, I was saddened by the fact I couldn't be there sharing the experience with her, both of us were extremely concerned about how she might handle the bloodlust of a new born. Being around her father was one thing, being around thousands of students was another.

'Edward, it isn't safe for her to be alone.' Esme's mind had images of the dangers that could happen. I winced away from her thoughts and nodded my head in encouragement for her to continue with our facade.

"Such talent and she hasn't been to college yet!" Esme exclaimed.  
"What school?"  
"Dartmouth" My smile couldn't have been controlled at that point. If only Bella had still been

human, not spending time with wolves, and not hurting over my foolish mistake. If only I had never felt, we could have attend my favorite college together. I longed to see Bella gracing the halls of one of the best ivy league schools in the country. There was a knock on the door. A young receptionist walked in slowly, barely able to keep her eyes off Esme and I. She stuttered when she finally spoke.

"There's...there's a ca-call for you on line one." Mrs. Haze nodded to her receptionist and turned her head back to us. I could see in her mind that she was assuming the meeting was over since there was nothing else to be discussed until she talked to Bella. Esme must have sensed this too but since we got as much information out of Mrs. Haze as we could, it really was best we left, before curiosity got the best of us, and we blew our cover in our hast to know more.

"Thank you again for seeing us, and please keep me posted on any new directions Izzy might decide to take," Esme said while standing up slowly and handing Mrs. Haze a fake business card with Alice's cell phone number on it.

"Not an problem. Thank you for your interest in my girl, I'll try to persuade her as much as possible." We both could tell the last statement was a lie; Mrs. Haze would only ask Bella once and if Bella said no, she would never bring it up again. She believed in giving artist room to make their decisions about the directions of their careers instead of trying to force their direction with the persuasions of money. Bella couldn't have picked a better publicist.

"At least we know where she might be. Has Charlie's mind ever been on the subject of Dartmouth?" Esme asked on the drive back home. Her eyes were barely glancing at the road as she sped around corners going 110mph. I thought about her question for a moment.

"No, not that I could tell. But he seems to elated that Bella decided to leave when we came back that I can't pick up too much else from his mind, except for his hatred towards me." In truth, Charlie hated our entire family but I couldn't dare say that to Esme, even though she probably already assumed so.

"It's good though." I looked at her questionably.

"I mean it's good that she went to school, that she's carrying on with her life. Even if your the driving factor that convinced her to do it. Her poems...can only remind her of how hurt she is. But maybe if she focused on something else for a change, she would be able to heal and forgive faster." Often I forgot how insightful Esme was. Even without any powers, she was able to know exactly what to say to ease my conflicted heart.

"But I still don't agree with her being anywhere alone Edward." Now her force was stern, as if giving me direct orders.

"If something was to happen, she would be devastated and the wolves wouldn't be able to help her in a situation like that. I understand her need for distance but it borderlines dangerous. I think you and Alice should find some way to help without forcing yourselves into her life before she's ready. Surely, seeing any of us would drive her to run again." Esme was hurt at her own words but she was right. Bella needed assistance incase the worse should happen and she gave in to her cravings but chasing after her just seemed like a huge mistake. We couldn't expect to go there and spy on her, since she was a vampire too, she could easily tell. I racked my mind for a solution. As we approached the house I heard Alice's mind yell

"DON'T WORRY EDWARD, I'M ON IT!"


	8. Chapter 8

"There are specific variations of literary techniques that were used in each play. For example..", my attention span in my Shakespearian class was dwindling. My face was rested on my arms as I barely kept my eyes open. Not that I could sleep; not in this form anyway. I moved every once and a while to keep up my human facade but otherwise, I was in another world completely. I still heard the whispers about me. The jealousy from the girls was obvious by the looks on their faces while the lust in every boys eyes kept me from ever making eye contact. I tried to toned down my appearance, sticking to oversized sweatpants, t-shirts, and wearing my hair in a messy ponytails but apparently, dressing the way I did and still looking flawless just made it worse.

"Ms. Swan?" Professor Khaler assumed I had no idea what he was discussing based on my relaxed demeanor, but I had heard the question and answered it correctly before he could ask it once more. I barely looked at him when I spoke which further irritated him. I'm sure my blasé behavior was more than irritating to my fellow classmates as well but I wanted to go home. Dartmouth wasn't fun; it was an escape in Ivy League form. I spent a majority of my day reading every book in the massive library, educating myself faster than any of these professors could. I was qualified to have four master degrees within the first month. The library was a good place to hide from male advancements. No one intended to bother me as much when I my face was buried in a book.

The classes were mundane but a good way to test the knowledge I obtained I suppose, even though I was far ahead of each class. The nights were filled with further knowledge seeking. I would rattle my brain every day and night with further experiments on my hybrid nature. I tried eating human food again, only to force it back up an hour later. Not the best college experience; even though throwing up is customary, it's usually caused by alcohol consumption and followed by a friend holding your hair while you heave the remains of your stomach content. I had seen it a few times after some while dorm parties. I was invited to all of them but never attended. I was tempted to see what alcohol would do to me but voted against trying.

My speed as a vampire was still the same. I tried to compare it to my werewolf speed but I soon discovered I could only change when anguished or furious. I changed so often during my first few weeks away from Forks that I barely spent any time at all in my single dorm. People started to suspect I secretly had a dog after a few nights when I irrupted into fur and cried myself to sleep. That was the only comforting thing in that state, I could sleep and cry; two significant forms of relief. I never realized how important both factors were until I thought I could never do either again. But once I relaxed enough to fall into a deep enough sleep, I would awake as a vampire. I suppose my emotions were too erratic to find out too much more about werewolf side at the moment.

I found little solace in my door room, listening to others partying, studying, arguing, and having

sex; basically the college experience was fully lost on me, not that I minded. Even as a human, I don't think I would have enjoyed the same activities others did. I spent most nights in the shelter of some near by woods. I hunted often but my mind was always on Forks. I never thought I could ever miss it so much. But I knew it wasn't the town, it was the people I selfishly left behind. My father who, in a complete sense of denial, welcomed me back with open arms after my "rehab". He saw how I was a different but knew I was still his daughter. That's all that mattered to him. After some heavy persuasion that my change was necessary for me to live, he ignored it as best as he could and relished having his daughter back.

Jake, my best friend, fought so hard against his own nature out of guilt. If I had been changed far away from Forks, he would never risk his pack brothers just to remain close to me. It was because they felt it was their duty to protect me and they failed. I would never blame them, not even Sam, even though my most resent words to him would make many think otherwise. It was no one's fault in my opinion; just a series of unexpected occurrences. But Jake risked everything for me out of guilt, and I was too lonely to stop him. Leaving was the best thing for him. If he was to imprint on a girl soon, how would we remain this close? I wouldn't be able to crawl into his bed at nights just for company. I wouldn't able able to expect him to pick me over everyone, because there would be someone else more important he would care for. I don't know if I could survive another rejection from someone I love. The rejection I felt when he referred to me as "one of them" was enough to send me running.

But I knew I wasn't unloved completely. Embry. Poor Embry. To be forever tied to someone so broken she doesn't even know what she is. I feel his anguish when I left and it broke my heart. Most of my human memories are already faded but I remembered the pain I felt when I was in the woods, broken hearted, with the one person I loved leaving me. I couldn't believe I was capable of inflicting that pain on anyone else. But Embry was so innocent. Just recently starting to faze and already imprinted on someone that was once in love with a vampire, then became a drug addict, then a vampire herself, and then a wolf. Nothing could have made him deserve this much confusion in his life. Poor Embry; I spent so much time pitying the situation I was in that I never really thought about how I felt about it.

In all honesty, it was disturbing. having no choice in who you love is bad enough, but to be tied to them, never to fall in love with another person again despite anything that person could do was so devastating. I wondered if their had ever been any case when an imprint didn't return the imprinters advances before now. Time drew on and class was over. I walked out a little faster than I should have but it was the quickest way to avoid conversations that someone eventually tried to have with me at the conclusion of every class. I tactic I faintly remembered Edward using while we were still in Biology

together. Those fuzzy memories I wouldn't mind completely losing.  
I never knew why he came back to Forks with his family. I didn't think it really mattered. It was

plainly obvious, it wasn't for me. Why would he want to pick up and old "distraction". If he was that bored, he could have just composed another lullaby for another unsuspected human fool or someone better, his own kind. Even now, I wasn't his kind. I was no one's kind. I made a beeline for the woods knowing that the only thing following me was the questionable stares of the other college students who just assumed I was weird. I had to be away from prying eyes, if only for a few hours. I felt the sorrow rushing threw me, my eyes burning, ready to cry if my vampire body would allow it.

Being one of a kind wasn't what it was cracked up to be. It was lonely. Between my father, Jake, and Embry, I left three broken hearts behind me, forever breaking my own. I thought of them more often then I thought of myself. I began running once I was in the cover of trees and before I knew it, I was on four paws. I kept running, scaring every animal in the viscidity. I finally stopped when I got to a small clearing. I laid down and let the loneliness, heartbreak, confusion, and despair have me. I cried so hard that I began to shake. My howls rippled through the woods, echoing in the distance. I thought of my father loved me despite everything, Jake, who would forsake his pack to be able to stand by my side, Embry who had no choice but to love me, and would be beyond anguished if I never came back, And Edward, who for unexplainable reasons, I still loved. All of their faces ran through my mind like flipping through pictures. I felt the pain all over again just remembering their faces. And then, I slipped away to an unconscious state. Sure that I would awake soon as my body relaxed and my vampire side took control once more, I had one last thought of Embry wishing, for once, I was good enough for such unconditional love.

When I awoke, I was startled to see the sun was rising and I was still a wolf. I frantically looked around, wondering why I hadn't changed back. I was so distracted that I didn't immediately notice the scent of someone else near by. I immediately got on my guard, clenching my teeth. I knew it was an animal but didn't notice it was a werewolf until it was only a few feet away. As it closed the space between us, I recognized the fur, I recognized the scent, and those eyes.

'Embry?' I thought. I focused my thoughts into his head and saw the happiness he felt having found me.

'What are you doing here?' I asked. He brushed his large head against the side of mine affectionately. I remembered him doing this before when he had first imprinted on me. I don't know how I could have missed the undying love practically radiating out of his mind.

' Bella, are you alright? I was so worried. I waited every day to hear that you were coming home and then I felt you and I had to..'

I interrupted his thoughts, confused.  
'you felt me?' He looked at me funny and before responding.  
'Yeah, I felt you yesterday afternoon. I was in my room, of course, wondering where you were

and then I heard your thoughts and felt your pain. I was crazy worried but luckily, your thoughts showed me you were here so I ran all night. After a while, it was easier to catch your scent when I saw you...' his thoughts trailed off, his eyes showing nothing but the purest affection. Even as a werewolf, he could never appear to pose a threat with his eyes expressing nothing but unadulterated love.

'Embry...' I sighed his name, caught up with the random, unexpected feeling I suddenly had for him. He saw the change in my expression and was practically beaming with joy.

'Bella' he sung my name in his thoughts. I smiled and lowered my body back to the ground feeling more relaxed than I had in months. Embry lied down on the patch of grass next to me, lying his head on my back. After a few moments, I noticed I was fazing back but I was mortified to realize that I was naked in front of him. He sensed my embarrassment and turned his head.

'Stay put,' he order before running off. I laid flat on my stomach, counting the seconds. Of course I wasn't cold but I was uncomfortable being completely nude outside in broad day light. After 20 minutes I heard Emrby approaching on foot. He had my sweatpants and t-shirt that I had worn the previous night in his right hand. My eyes raked over his tall body. Muscular build was enhanced from the last time I had seen him before he had first fazed. His hair was cut short drawing more attention to those dark brown eyes that spoke volumes for his affection. His russet skin had a light tint of red to it as he turned away and handed me my clothes. I was done in less than two seconds but he obviously wasn't use to my vampire speed like Jake was since when I touched his shoulder, he still kept his eyes the opposite direction from me.

"Emrby, how did you know where my dorm was?" I asked, breaking the tension. He turned around slowly with a confused expression.

"I told you Bells, I saw your mind. I saw everything you've been through in the past few months in less than a minute and then I felt everything that you felt," he voice softened, no doubt feeling sorry for me.

"I'm glad you showed me everything and called out to me like you did, I couldn't stand having you away but I was okay with it as long as you were happy. But then I saw that you weren't and there was nothing Jake could do to stop me from coming to..."

"Jake tried to stop you?" I was shocked and curious how Jake would have the authority to do so.

"We'll first Sam did, that day you left, he ordered me to stay away from you. I had to obey his Alfa command but it went against ever part of me so without realizing it, I switched sides to Jake cause

it was my only escape, my only way to you. But he was worried about you to and ordered me not to follow you. I was furious because it was practically the same order Sam had given but then after you were gone, he changed his command."

There was a slight pause. He stared deep into my eyes for a moment before speaking again.

"He told me I had to reframe from following you until you ask for or needed me. After what you showed me last night, there was nothing that could keep me in Forks." I instantly felt terrible. Embry might have the body of a grown man in his twenties but he was still a boy. He still needed to finish school, be with his family and friends; not crossing state lines in the middle of the night just for me.

"I don't know how I showed you any of that." I whispered, eyes downcast so not to see the pain in his face when I finished saying what I intend to say.

"I never intended to call you Embry. My mind was just full of so much at the time and I was emotionally exhausted and I just thought of everyone I missed so much and then I wake up and you're..."

"You missed me?!" He obviously was disregarding the portion about me not calling him in the first place but I couldn't deny him when I looked up and saw his eyes light up even more.

"You saw my thoughts, you know I did," I had to smile at his hopeful expression.

"Yes but hearing you say it is even better!" he exclaimed. I laughed and the sound of my wind chime like laughter echoed in the woods, sounding like a beautiful melody in the wind. Once again, I saw the affection in Embry's eyes. This time, it was so intense, I grew bashful enough to look down and hide my face beneath my hair. He lifted my chin up lightly with his left hand and gazed into my amber eyes.

"You might not have purposely called me but you needed me. You definitely needed someone and I would never leave you out here alone and sad as you were." His voice was firm, not belonging to a boy of his age.

"I know you feel alone Bells, but there are some of us who know better than to ever leave you. I'm here and even if you ordered me away, I'd still always be around to make sure you were happy. That's all that matters to me." He said it all with such compassion that I couldn't fathom ever hurting him again. He must have sense my train of thoughts.

"I know you left because you had to. If you want to stay here, that's great. College is where you should be anyway, and what better place than here?" his eyes glanced towards the towering buildings in the distance.

"You should be in school as well and with your family and..."

"I know what your trying to say Bells, but just trust me. I can't survive if I even have the slightest indication that you might be unhappy. It hurts to be apart from you as it is but it's beyond agony when you're gone and feeling like you did. If I didn't come..." he stopped for a moment. His eyes were on my faced yet not focused on me. I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong but he spoke before I could.

"Bells, you said you didn't intentionally call me right? You just thought of me?" I solemnly nodded feeling terrible for having admit it.

"I saw everything in your past since your...change because you focused on me, even for a brief moment. Did you think of anyone else besides me?" I hadn't realized my mouth had been hanging open while he spoke. I pieced together the pieces and suddenly began frantic. Who else had I inadvertently showed my thoughts to? I already knew the answers, and for the first time, I hated my power. Jake and Embry's knowledge of my thoughts had just caused embarrassment, but Edward and Charlie... especially Charlie, that was something different all together.


	9. Chapter 9

Bella POV

I ran back to my room with Embry right behind me. It was a good thing he brought me my clothes because I forgot to hide a new outfit somewhere amongst the trees incase of emergencies. We were getting stares from everyone we passed. Im sure they were surprised to see me accompanied by a boy, let alone one that was over 6 feet tall and more muscular than anyone on the football team. I heard the whispers and I was positive Embry heard them too.

"Look at who didn't come home last night! Her hair looks a mess and she still looks perfect, it's so unfair!"

"What's unfair is they guy she's with! He looks scrumptious. No wonder she blows off everyone that asks her out,"

"She's just stuck up and weird. And Rebecca told me that she's keeping some pet in her dorm room. She hears all types of whimpering noises sometimes at night!"

"How do we know it's not them making all those noises!" I tried to ignore the giggles that erupted from the nosey girls we were walking past. Two of them I had seen in a couple of my classes and they always gave me a less than welcoming look whenever I made eye contact.

I entered my room and felt instantly embarrassed at the amount of dirty clothes I had lying everywhere. I couldn't believe Embry has to see it this way. With all the reading, studying, and phasing I had been doing, I wasn't exactly Martha Steward like I was with Charlie. Speaking of Charlie, I quickly located my cell phone but notice that the battery was dead. I found the charger underneath a pile of papers and clothes. After plugging the phone up, I dialed Charlie and tried to be gentle so I didn't break the phone in my anxiety.

Embry must have sensed that I was nervous because he gently started stroking my back. Usually I hated being touched, but it didn't seem like he was trying to invade my space; he just wanted to be helpful. The phone rang once before I heard Charlie's voice on the other end.

"Bella," he sounded frantic which didn't calm my nerves any more,

"Hey Dad, just calling to say hey," I tried to make my voice sound as casual as I could but I'm sure he heard the slight difference.

"How are you doing? How's school? Is everything alright?" His worrying only made me put more effort into my steading my voice. After all, if he did see my thoughts, he might just think he was having a wild and crazy dream.

"Wow, calm down dad," I said slightly chuckling.  
"I'm doing great, school's good, and everything is fine. I was just callin' to see how you were

doing and if you burned down the house yet in an attempt to cook." My joke definitely softened him but I needed to make sure to erase any doubts.

"The house is standing just as you left it. Sorry for being Mr. Worry-About-Everything. Just miss you kid. Gotta tell you, I had this crazy sorta dream about you last night."

"Really?," I asked remaining calm.

"What about?" There was a long pause as I guess he was trying to gather his thoughts. I glanced at Embry who hadn't stopped stroking my back but was looking at me intensely.

" I don't remember much, only bits and pieces but it felt real. Felt like you were sad and...lonely. I don't remember anything else though," I could tell Charlie was lying. He remembered a lot more than he was letting on but I suppose he didn't wanna sound too crazy.

"Well," I said continuing with my carefree voice,

"Dreams are hard to remember but I'm sorry this one worried you so much. Everything is great, dad, really. You're probably having such crazy dreams because you miss me. I miss you too. I was actually calling because I was thinking about visiting in the next couple of days." My lie definitely helped raise Charlie's spirits and from the look on Embry's face, he was happy to hear that I would be coming back to Forks too.  
~On the way back to Forks~

I noticed that when I was driving Embry kept is eyes focused on me when he thought I wouldn't notice. He kept asking so many questions about the images and feelings I accidently sent him that I asked him to turn up the radio so I could focus my thoughts and how to what to say to Charlie. I hope I wasn't being too stern with Embry. It's not that I wasn't grateful for his company, it's just that I knew so little about myself. I didn't know what being some sort of half breed meant. I didn't know all of what I was capable of and that terrified me. When I knew I was a vampire, I knew of the dangers I posed and the precautions I had to make. Now, I didn't even know how to keep some of my emotions in check well enough to not phase and telepathically transfer my feeling to those I think of. I was all too confusing. Still, I didn't want Embry to feel like he annoyed me so I tried to soften the tension in the car by singing to the song playing.

I noticed how his stare intensified when he heard me singing. My voice floated like bells chiming in the wind, accompanied by the music playing out the speakers of my 2006 Honda Civic.

"Your voice is amazing," He said it so low that I didn't think he intentionally spoke. I laughed, slightly embarrassed by the attention, and replied,

"It got a lot better when I became a vampire. Before I could carry a tune in a bucket." We

laughing in unison and the rest of the drive to my house in Forks was calm. The house didn't look much different, not that I expected it to. I had only been gone a couple of months. I unlocked the door and offered Embry a seat since Charlie wasn't home yet. He declined and instead stated that he better phase and let Jake know what's up.

"He hadn't heard from me since the night I disappeared and I'm sure that he's losing his mind. It's a good thing my mom knows about the whole werewolf thing or this little trip would be impossible to explain," He laughed so carefree, it reminded me of how young he really was. As he jogged into the woods, I fell into my own routine of cleaning and preparing dinner for Charlie. My mind, however, was focused on my problems. I had no idea of the type of species I was, therefore I was unable to begin to know what to expect and how to control myself. I had been enjoying the ability to cry and sleep when I was in my wolf form; it helped relieve a lot of stress, but now that my telepathic talents were sending my thought images thousands of miles away, I didn't trust myself to let my wolf side take over again. What would I do? I couldn't just stop phasing, it was uncontrollable when I became too overwhelmed or sad but I couldn't risk sending the wrong thoughts to the wrong people. I had inadvertently risked Charlie's life when my images gave him glimpses of what I really am. The last thing I wanted was a visit from Italy royalty, not that the Volturi could ever find out. Charlie's life was still too valuable to risk. I would have to make some quick decisions for both of our well- being.

I picked up the house phone and dialed a number I had tried to forget. His voice was unchanged of course but it still made me jump to hear it.

"Hello, Carlisle, it's Bella. I need to meet with you in private and no one can know."


	10. Chapter 10

Carlisle POV

I was driving from the hospital at top speed to meet Bella at the place she directed. I could barely contain my excitement at the chance to see her after all this time. It felt like it was just yesterday we celebrated her 18th birthday, but then again, vampires measure time differently. I stopped to park the car under a tree, hidden from the road by a few bushes. I wanted to avoid any unnecessary attraction to this area. I considered parking even farther away and running back but I was like a child in a candy shop, unable to hold back my anticipation. Bella was like my long lost daughter in law; the missing piece to our family's happiness. She sounded worried on the phone but still hesitant about wanting to meet me. I knew this has to be important to receive a call from her but I also had the feeling that this meeting wasn't about Edward.

I walked a few feet and realized why Bella requested this specific spot. It was a small circle clearing no wider than 5 feet and was secluded from all eyes, surrounded by thick shrubs and trees. It didn't go unnoticed that this location was very close to the borderline which only further encouraged the idea that Bella didn't trust me. I couldn't pretend that the realization didn't hurt. After a few more steps the wind blew one of the most tantalizing scent in my direction but before my mind could start analyzing the scent, I saw Bella. I had already studied Bella's new image from her picture on the back of her book but she looked changed, as if that was possible. I noticed the differences immediately. Her hair had strands of silver amongst the auburn highlights. Her body still looked slim underneath her jeans and t-shirt but there was indeed a more muscular frame than she hadn't previously had when she was human. I wrote off these concerns as changes from her vampire transformation that were photoshopped out the picture our family saw.

"Bella, it's great to see you." I paid close attention to how she tensed up when I called her name. I would have to be extra careful to not push her too far; I didn't want her to feel so uncomfortable that she fled. I kept my distance from her and tried soften my stance but the scent that surrounded us made me feel like it was necessary to be on guard. My eyes searched for any danger amongst the trees when I finally heard her speak.

"It's me Carlisle." I looked at her confused. Of course it was Bella. What was she trying to imply? That it had been so long since our last encounter that I wouldn't be able to recognize what she looked like?

'No, the strange scent that makes you feel like you're endanger, it's my scent.' Her voice ringing in my head made me jump.

"It's my vampire talent to communicate with people telepathically." She said it so calm with a such a straight face, obviously it wasn't this talent that put her in the need of my assistance now.

"As happy as I am to see you Bella, I could see you don't feel the same about me. Not that I don't understand, but I would like to know what's concerning you so much that you needed to call upon me." She flinched a little when I spoke but then sighed.

"Turn around and don't peak." I was puzzled but did what she asked. I had to admit, it wasn't the easiest thing to turn my back, not knowing what to expect but I trusted Bella wouldn't call me here to ambush me. After a couple of seconds I heard a whimpering noise and detected her scent intensify. I quickly spun around and found myself facing a white and silver werewolf with deep brown eyes.

'It's me.' she said into my mind so soft that it would seem like she was ashamed. I wasn't helping her feel much more comfortable since my mouth had a hard time staying closed. How could this be? A vampire that can morph into a werewolf. Maybe this was another talent. Maybe she could transform her physical features. It was a far stretch but it was the only thing that could have made sense at the point. Bella shook her head roughly.

'When I was transforming into a vampire some of Jacob Black's blood mixed into my wounds. When I get too emotional, I phase. It happened for the first time the day I saw Edward, Alice and Jasper. ' It wasn't the most comfortable thing to hear someone else's voice in your head so it took me a second to wrap my mind around what Bella had just said.

"Is this why your scent is so...distracting?"

'Yes. I use to just smell like a vampire but now that it's a mixture of vampire and werewolf, it's more..alluring to both kinds. I'm told as a werewolf I smell warm and sweet. Is that how I smell to you?' I could tell that it was an awkward question for her to ask but I'm sure it would have been awkward for anyone in the same position as her. I always admired Bella's strength but now the level of admiration had grown to such astounding levels, it was hard to ever believe that she was only human not too long ago. To be a combination of species is to be one of a kind. The conflict with that it that you're alone. I'm sure she saw the sadness in my eyes which is why she turned her head.

"You smell like freesias, like you did when you were human but it's a warmer scent and more rustic. Like you were basking in the sun in a field freesia somewhere deep in the woods. I'm interested in how the pack interprets your scent. Did they say anything else about it?"

'Not much. Just that it's warm and sweet and it makes all of them want to get closer to me...distance wise.' The conversation was getting increasingly interesting but uncomfortable for Bella.

'I don't know all of what I'm capable of anymore. I haven't had any problems at school besides my constant desire to be in my wolf form so I can release some of my tension.' I was almost afraid to ask.

"How do you relieve your tension when you phase?" I knew it was wrong to think Bella would put innocent lives at jeopardy but I really had no educated theory of what this combination of genetics was doing to her blood lust.

'I can cry and sleep when I'm a wolf. I don't sleep for very long, maybe an hour or two but recently I was able to sleep throughout the entire night.' I turned around and let my mind wash over everything I had just discovered. My thirst for knowledge of how to handle this situation had me considering a series of test I would have to subject Bella to but I couldn't rush things. Although it was hard to come to terms with, I knew I was also in danger being around Bella alone. She was still technically a newborn and now was mixed with the genetics of our sworn natural enemies. I knew better than to ask to include someone else but assistance might come in handy to restrain Bella if things got out of control.

"No one else Carlisle. Figure out whatever theories you have to, do whatever test, and I'll answer whatever questions but no one else can ever get involved. I will set up arrangements so that you might feel more ...safe around me. No one else can know. I will do what I can to make sure your thoughts are blocked from anyone else." I felt almost downhearted that our brief reunion had to be overshadowed by the desperate need of secrecy but I understood and respected her desires.

"I'm not afraid for myself Bella. I could never be afraid of ..."

" Don't be so sure of that!" I turned around to face her now, back in human clothes and looking rather ashamed.

"I knew it was hard for you to contact me today and ask for help," I said. Her eyes focused to the ground but I noticed they were golden amber with silver around the arise.

"Out of curiosity, how is it you can keep my thoughts guarded when you're not around?" She looked like she was debating whether or not to tell me.

"It only takes a small amount of attention on your thoughts and focusing on blocking them from everyone but me. I'll respect your privacy and try to only focus on the thoughts regarding me but keep in mind that you do have to block them yourself as well. There's no telling when I might phase and fall asleep.."

"I understand." I replied quite impress at her talent. I sensed our reunion was coming to an end.

"You can call me when you're alone to let me know when and where you choose to meet. I have to go now but thank you for coming." I noticed how she didn't look at me when she said thank you before you ran with incredible grace back across the borderline.


	11. Chapter 11

Jacob

Anger wasn't an emotion I was a stranger to but at the extent I was experiencing, my self control was pushed to the brink. Bella's departure after her first phase had riddled me with guilt and worry but Embry's disappearance in the middle of the night had me furious. Imagine my shock when my dad received a phone call from Embry's mother who said her son left on an extended patrolling mission, but was uninformed of where. She added that if anything was to happen to him in his absence, she would hold me personally responsible. I wish he hadn't left without telling me but I suppose he knew I would forbid it otherwise.

Sam, Quil, and I were all meeting at Emily's to put our egos aside and piece some things together. That horrible day when the Cullen's came back couldn't have coincidently coincided with Bella's first phase. Her phase was an obvious response to their presence. I won't deny that her rage towards them put a smile on my face. Sam was beyond furious that I hadn't told him immediately about their reappearance in Forks but I reminded him that the vampire/wolf best friend was more of an anomaly then a pack of leeches resurfacing. He sullenly agreed.

Sam was more shocked at Bella's phase than any of us as it would appear. His forehead constantly was scrunched into a serious expression creating lines and wrinkles that I'm sure would be permanent if he continued thinking on it so hard. Even Emily couldn't completely distract him from worrying while all three of us sat in her living room discussing Bella. That was my first indication that something was askew. The bind between a wolf and their imprint was very affectionate, even more so when it came to Sam and Em, so when Sam's thoughts on Bella caused him to rebuff some of Emily's subtle attempts to relax him, I was instantly perplexed. Eventually Sam noticed this strange behavior and began profusely apologizing to her.

Surprisingly, it was Quil who decided to shed some insight on the matter. Having already imprinted on 2-year-old Claire, Quil understood what Sam was experiencing to an extent.

"Bella's presence after she phased was different", he hesitantly stated, eyes focused on the hardwood floor as he struggled with the best way to form his hypothesis.

" Not just her appearance and scent though. Jake, you said that Bella can force her mind into our minds for us to hear her thoughts. But after she phased, I felt more of a need to help her..."

"She's technically part of our kind so of course,-" Sam began to interject but Quil interrupted, determined to get his point across.

"It's not just that Sam. Think about her...umm... Vampire talent. She can force herself into our minds. We're emotional, that's what triggers our phasing and triggered hers. And Jake," he looked at me as he continued.

" You said that Bella told you that newborn vamps were the same way so maybe her talent kinda changed or grew when she became a wolf and she can force her feelings for us to feel too." There was a still quietness in the room. Emily stared at Sam's expression as his eyes narrowed at the theory.

"Consider it. After she phased we were just shocked but when she woke up, I was nervous and worried and dying to do anything to make her relax and feel better. The same way I feel when Claire cries... Well almost the same way. There was something more to this feeling, like..." Quil struggled to form the rest of his sentence but Sam and I already understood.

" Like it was an automatic response," I concluded. All eyes fell on me.  
" I see what you mean. I felt her sadness when she phased an jumped out my window,

instantly aware of why she was feeling the way she did. The night that Embry left, I saw a quick flash of everything she went through and the pain of it was so heavy." I went quiet for a moment while Quil and Sam stared at me,

" I thought she was showing me that she needed space. I was desperate to find her but reframed knowing how she values her solitude when overwhelmed. But Embry..."

" Embry doesn't know her like you do Jake. If Quil is right than we a react to the feelings that radiates off Bella." I could see his struggle saying her name without wincing.

" I admit that when I saw her as a wolf, my guilt was almost close to what I felt when..." He stopped short, looking at Emily who held his right hand in loving reassurance, no doubt remembering the day he phase too close to her, forever scarring her beautiful face. She had long since forgiven him but he never would forgive himself. Quil and I knew and he didn't need to continue.

" So I mistook the way I felt when she left as the way I always felt for her because-"

" Because you already love her", Quill insisted, cutting me off, now more confident in his theory and trying to make us see it.

"But Embry, who doesn't have an imprint and never had feelings for Bella thinks that this sudden rush of feelings he gets when he's around her means that he's imprinted, not knowing that it's another power she has." I paused for a moment considering everything that was just said and the gravity of it all. Believing someone was your soul mate to only be told that it was a sympathetic reaction. The realization of this would hurt both of them. The day Bella became a wolf, Embry's mind was focused on Bella but in hindsight, it wasn't the same as Sam and Quil's mind when they focused on their imprints. It was corroded in sympathy, protectiveness, and determination to fix it. Not love and lust, jut concern so intensified by Bella's projecting anguish that anyone who hadn't already loved her would be compelled to respond to when in such close proximity to her.

As if reading my thoughts, Sam spoke again.

" I was wrong to assume he imprinted. It's clear now that he would interpret the feelings he felt as love after I assumed that he shared that type of bond with her. He'll be disappointed when he finds out the truth. But it's selfish for Bella to use him this way. As a source of comfort when she knows-", if Sam thought I was going to let him continue his verbal assault on her he was sadly mistaken!

" Bella doesn't know anything! She barely has control over her first power so I doubt she even knows a second one exists!" I yelled, standing up so abruptly that I turned over Emily's wooden coffee table, spilling Sam's beer on the moss green rug. I was too angry to care.

" She had barely known she was a wolf for 30 minutes before all of this happened!"

"Embry could be missing out on discovering his true imprint if Bella's feelings are too strong for him to feel anything else. It could even make him weak and distracted if he was to run into another leech that wanted to attack him. If your an alpha now, you're gonna have to see this for what it is". Sam's voice was stern yet almost pleading with me to see how Bella's close proximity could cause a problem for all of the wolves, especially those who haven't imprinted and emotions are more susceptible. I hated to agree with him but he was right.

I shook my head in defeat, walking out the front door without so much as a goodbye. I'm sure Sam could tell that he made his point, forcing me to make a decision. Being alpha, I had to consider the pack, both packs. I headed for the nearest cover of trees. It was clear that I needed to find Embry first and then Bella. I phased, not caring about the clothes I had shredded, and took off running hoping to clear my head. However, my mind was filled with an unmistakeable voice.

'Hey Jake, I was waiting for u to phase to let u know we were in Forks'. He braced his mind for the mental lashing he thought he would receive for leaving Forks to find Bella. However, he wasn't prepare for the mental image replay I showed him of the conversation in Emily's living room, disclosing Bella's new power and robbing him of his supposed imprint. The pain of the realization was heart shattering but in some ways, he knew. He replayed moments with Bella where his affection felt more brotherly than romantic. He dismissed these feelings in the past as caused by inexperience when it came to women.

I almost growled at the memories of him watching her, his mind filled with lust and fantasies, but none of his fantasies were colored with the love of an imprint that we would see when Sam thought of Emily while in wolf form. His attraction to Bella was nothing compare to that. He considered it before but now he knew. He sighed in his mind.

' I still love her though,' he thought with no embarrassment or doubt. I began running in the direction of Bella's house, watching all the memories of their time together. Some of them made me growl furiously but it was clear that everything was always platonic and Bella never reciprocated any romantic feelings or attempts that he entertained. I still found my self jealous of their recent relationship which made Embry smug.

' Afraid she might like me more?' He asked, his humor annoying me. I was going to play along until I remembered the real reason I was going to see Bella now. Sam's words rang loud in my head and Embry howled at the pain of being forced away from her.

'It's too risky for her to be around. Especially with the Leeches back! We need to be on guard. At least until she has a better control of her powers' I thought, attempting to justify my decision. Embry saw my logic but the pain of longing didn't subside.

' Are you trying to convince me or yourself?' He thought bitterly. His words had more truth to them than I wanted to admit. I would have to force her away, just like **he** did. No matter my justifications, I would hurt her just the same.

Author Note: I posted these chapters VERY early to clear up some confusion. This is indeed a Edward/Bella story. Bella is not Embry's imprint. Thank you fir the comments and please continue. I will post more when I hear more from all of you! Btw: many more chapters to come So post quickly : )


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